49 DAYS TO KICKOFF: Elijah Sullivan

Elijah Sullivan True Freshman 6-1 | 204 Tucker, Ga. Bio

Position: Linebacker Previous College: None Projection: Redshirt Status: On Scholarship

Elijah Sullivan (b. May 13, 1997) is that rarest of creatures — a player from SEC country who we stole away from a prestigious SEC program. This promising linebacker is a testament to Andre Coleman and his Georgia pipeline.

He chose K-State over offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Marshall, plus interest from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU. Sullivan was committed to Auburn for some time, but the Tigers bungled it.

Literally hours before National Signing Day, Auburn began telling Sullivan he was going to have to grayshirt, despite his being the Tigers' third commitment and sticking by them through nine months. So he started looking around.

His high school and future college teammate, Duke Shelley, put him in touch with Andre Coleman, and unlike so many other K-State Signing Day stories that end in unhappiness, the Wildcats were able to net a rare NSD steal.

Sullivan played under head coach Bryan Lamar at Tucker High School, where he helped to lead the Tigers to a 10-3 record and an appearance in the state playoffs. Watch his high school highlights here.

Viewed as the 26th-best outside linebacker nationally by Scout.com and ranked 28th by Rivals.com, Sullivan also was regarded as the eighth-best outside linebacker in the southern region by Scout.com.

Sullivan was an honorable-mention all-state selection and All-DeKalb County pick by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2014, and was named to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) All-Region 2-AAAAAA team.

Sullivan prepped with fellow K-State 2016 signees Justin Hughes and Shelley, who raved about K-State to him:

"I talked to Duke a week or two before and he told me the games were loud and the fans were going berserk," chuckled the linebacker. "He and Isaiah Zuber painted a great picture of what K-State is. Everything they said was true." ...

"I know different players have different styles and whatever fits best for them is good for the team," began Sullivan on what he and his Georgia counterparts will bring to the program.

"But listening to Duke, watching film, and seeing the basketball game over the weekend, I know what K-State's about. Those fans, they feed off of plays — it's all reaction."

His size and speed project Sullivan to play on the weak side:

"Talking with Coach Cox on my own, they want to put me at the Will position," continued 2015's No. 28 outside linebacker. "It's basically what I played at Tucker and allows me to use my quickness and stay aggressive for the ball." ...

"I'll say this," Sullivan said in a sly yet forward tone. "I'm aggressive and I'm very physical and I have a lot of room to grow — I know that. But down South, where we all have grown up, there's an attitude about football. It's definitely going to bring a different feel to that defense. Definitely."